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Women's Basketball Drops 74-58 Game at BYU

PROVO, Utah - The University of Oregon women's basketball couldn't stop Brigham Young's outside arsenal Wednesday as the Ducks lost 74-58 at the Marriott Center.

The Ducks, who had won three straight, dropped to 5-4 on the year while the Cougars improved to 5-3.

'We were a little flat, but there's no excuse' first-year Oregon coach Bev Smith said. 'Defensively, we weren't disciplined to stay within our game plan. (BYU) stuck to their game plan and had discipline.'

The Cougars nailed 11-of-25 from 3-point range, led by Erin Thorn, who made 4-of-10 and finished with 14 points.

The Ducks, who led only in the game's first minute, couldn't find their offensive rhythm. Junior guard Shaquala Williams, shooting 59 percent from the floor on 2-point shots before the game, made just 3-of-14 from the floor, including 0-of-6 on 3-pointers.

'We did a good job at getting inside at times, but we've still got to find a little bit of an (offensive) answer,' Smith said. '

Oregon shot 30 percent in the first half on 10-of-33 shooting, trailing 38-29 at halftime. It also made a season-low 36 percent overall from the field and converted just 2-of-15 from 3-point territory.

'There was nobody there to pick us up and say 'Let's go,'' said sophomore forward Cathrine Kraayeveld, who tied a career-high with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting.

After trailing 41-31 with 17:49 left in the game, Oregon mounted a modest comeback as Jamie Craighead made a 14-footer from the baseline-her first attempt and only field goal of the game. Two Kraayeveld baskets, one of the them a 3-pointer, and a lay-in by Ndidi Unaka sliced BYU's lead to 44-40 with 14:29 remaining.

But it was as close as Oregon got. The Cougars went on a 15-1 run over the next six minutes sparked by two Thorn 3-pointers and another by Stace Jensen, who had 14 points and six assists.

'We need more intensity defensively,' said Kraayeveld, who tied a team-high with six rebounds. 'Defense is the thing everybody feeds off, which translates to the offensive end.'

BYU's Jennifer Leitner led all players with 16 points-12 in the first half-and 12 rebounds. For Oregon, Edniesha Curry (11 points) and Alyssa Fredrick (10 points) were its only other double-figure scorers.

Despite an off-night offensively, Williams became the 16th player in school history to score 1,000 points, reaching the milestone on a free throw with 3:42 left in the first half. She had eight points and a team-high five assists.

Oregon next opens Pac-10 play on the road next Thursday at UCLA at 7 p.m. Next Saturday, the Ducks will play USC on Fox Sports Net at 4 p.m.